Foam wall structures and methods for their manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11905707-B2
Application number	US-202117361957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2021
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

Foam wall structures and methods for making them are described. The wall structures include a frame, a foam panel overlying a front surface of the frame, and a polyurethane foam layer disposed in a cavity of the wall structure. The polyurethane foam layer has a density, as determined by ASTM D1622-14, of at least 44 kg/m3(2.75 lb/ft3) and exhibits ASTM E84-16 Class A flame spread and smoke development characteristics. The polyurethane foam layer is the cured reaction product of a polyurethane foam-forming composition that includes a polyisocyanate, an aromatic polyester polyol having a functionality of greater than 2.5 and an OH number of at least 300 mg KOH/g, which is present in an amount of at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition less the weight of the polyisocyanate, a catalyst, and a blowing agent composition. The blowing agent composition includes water and a hydrofluoroolefin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wall structure comprising:
(a) a frame comprising: (i) a first member; (ii) a second member spaced apart from the first member; and (iii) connecting members extending between the first member and the second member, wherein the first member, the second member, and the connecting members each comprise a front surface and a rear surface that form a front frame surface and a rear frame surface;
(b) a foam panel overlying the front frame surface, wherein at least one of: (i) the foam panel abuts the front frame surface such that the foam panel, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define a cavity, or (ii) a non-foam sheathing abuts the front frame surface between the front frame surface and the foam panel, such that the non-foam sheathing, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity; and
(c) a polyurethane foam layer disposed within the cavity, wherein the polyurethane foam layer:
(i) adheres to a rear surface of at least one of the foam panel or, if present, a rear surface of the non-foam sheathing,
(ii) has a density, as determined by ASTM D1622-14, of 44 kg/m 3 (2.75 lb/ft 3 ) to 160 kg/m 3 (10.0 lb/ft 3 ) and exhibits a Class A rating according to ASTM E84-16, and
(iii) is a cured reaction product of a polyurethane foam-forming composition comprising:
(1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount by weight;
(2) an aromatic polyester polyol having a functionality of greater than 2.5 and an OH number of 300 to 400 mg KOH/g, which is present in an amount of at least 50% by weight, based on total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition less the weight of the polyisocyanate;
(3) a catalyst; and
(4) a blowing agent composition comprising water and a hydrofluoroolefin, wherein the hydrofluoroolefin is present in an amount of 1 to 6% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition, less the weight of the polyisocyanate.

2. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the foam panel abuts the front frame surface such that the foam panel, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity.

3. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the non-foam sheathing is present and abuts the front frame surface between the front frame surface and the foam panel, such that the non-foam sheathing, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity, wherein the non-foam sheathing comprises a sheet metal sheathing having a thickness of 0.18 to 3.74 mm (0.007 to 0.147 inch) and the foam panel abuts a front surface of the sheet metal sheathing.

4. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the foam panel comprises a polyisocyanurate core foam layer and a facer on at least one of a rear face or a front face of the polyisocyanurate core foam layer, wherein the facer comprises a glass mat filled with recycled cardpanel and colored with carbon black, a fiberglass mat, a glass fiber-reinforced cellulosic felt, a coated and polymer-bonded fiber mat, a foil, a coated foil, a laminate comprising a foil and a membrane, a composite comprising a foil and glass, or a polyolefin film.

5. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam layer does not extend out from and overlie the front frame surface and has a thickness extending to a position intermediate the front frame surface and the rear frame surface, thereby forming a gap within the frame between a rear surface of the foam layer and the rear frame surface.

6. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the aromatic polyester polyol having a functionality of greater than 2.5 and an OH number of 300 to 400 mg KOH/g: (i) has a functionality of 2.7 to 3.2, and (ii) is present in an amount of 65 to 75% by weight, based on total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition less the weight of the polyisocyanate.

7. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the hydrofluoroolefin comprises 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene.

8. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam has a density, as determined by ASTM D1622-14, of 51 kg/m 3 (3.2 lb/ft 3 ) to 80 kg/m 3 (5.0 lb/ft 3 ).

9. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the water is present in an amount of 0.5 to 1.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition, less the weight of the polyisocyanate.

10. The wall structure of claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam-forming composition further comprises a monomeric compound having 2 to 4 isocyanate-reactive hydrogen atoms and a molecular weight of from 32 to 399 that is present in an amount of 0.5 to 2% by weight, based on total weight of polyurethane foam-forming composition.

11. A method of manufacturing the wall structure of claim 1 comprising:
depositing a polyurethane foam-forming composition into a cavity of the wall structure to form a polyurethane foam layer in the cavity that adheres to a rear surface of at least one of: (i) a foam panel that abuts a front frame surface, the front frame surface being formed by a front surface of a first member, a front surface of a second member that is spaced apart from the first member, and a front surface of connecting members extending between the first member and the second member, wherein the foam panel, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity; or (ii) a non-foam sheathing that abuts the front frame surface and is between the front frame surface and the foam panel so that the front frame surface such that the non-foam sheathing, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity,
wherein the polyurethane foam layer deposited in the cavity has a density, as determined by ASTM D1622-14, of 44 kg/m 3 (2.75 lb/ft 3 ) to 160 kg/m 3 (10.0 lb/ft 3 ) and exhibits a Class A rating according to ASTM E84-16 and is a cured reaction product of the polyurethane foam-forming composition, and
wherein the polyurethane foam-forming composition comprises:
(a) a polyisocyanate present in an amount by weight,
(b) an aromatic polyester polyol having a functionality of greater than 2.5 and an OH number of 300 to 400 mg KOH/g, which is present in an amount of at least 50% by weight, based on total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition less the weight of the polyisocyanate;
(c) a catalyst, and
(d) a blowing agent composition comprising water and a hydrofluoroolefin,

wherein the hydrofluoroolefin is present in an amount of 1 to 6% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyurethane foam-forming composition, less the weight of the polyisocyanate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foam panel abuts the front frame surface such that the foam panel, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the non-foam sheathing is present and abuts the front frame surface between the front frame surface and the foam panel, such that the non-foam sheathing, the first member, the second member, and the connecting members define the cavity, wherein the non-foam sheathing comprises a sheet metal sheathing having a thickness of 0.18 to 3.74 mm (0.007 to 0.147 inch) and the foam panel abuts a front surface of the sheet metal sheathing.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foam panel comprises a polyisocyanurate core foam layer and a facer on at least one of a rear face or a front face of the polyisocyanurate core foam layer, wherein the facer comprises a glass mat filled with recycled cardpanel and colored with carbon black, a fiberglass mat, a glass fiber-reinforced cellulosic felt, a coated and

Assignees

• Covestro Llc

Inventors

• Giles Eric C

Classifications

• E04B2/847 Primary

  the form leaf comprising an insulating foam panel · CPC title

• C08G18/1808

  having alkylene polyamine groups · CPC title

• C08G18/1825

  having hydroxy or primary amino groups · CPC title

• C08G18/2027

  having two nitrogen atoms in the ring · CPC title

• C08G18/242

  organometallic compounds containing tin-carbon bonds · CPC title